Snow, ice and slush to hit northern Louisiana and Mississippi

Wide swaths of Louisiana and Mississippi braced Saturday for a bout of winter weather bringing the promise of sleet, snow and icy highways that would hamper travel early into the work week.

The National Weather Service issued a winter storm watch beginning at 9 a.m. Sunday and continuing through 6 a.m. Monday for northern sections of Louisiana and Mississippi.

The worst weather -- including accumulations of slushy snow and sleet of 4 to 8 inches -- were projected along a line north of Rayville, La., to Philadelphia, Miss. on Sunday. Following that, forecasters were expecting freezing rain to hit the region late Sunday.

Farther south into central Louisiana and more southern portions of Mississippi, forecasts called for a mix of sleet, freezing rain and rain beginning Sunday morning and continuing through the day. The weather service said that could bring up an an inch of ice on highways, completing stopping travel, and knock out power.

Throughout the region, the arrival of stiff northeasterly winds late Sunday could refreeze slush accumulations, causing more travel problems and downed power lines, the weather service said. Some areas that see slush will not reach the hard freeze mark until Monday, forecasters said.